Molecular Biology Component: Services and Shared Instrumentation: Project Summary The main objective of the Vision Research Core is to enhance the productivity and efficiency of the research programs of the UW vision scientists, with special priority given to investigators holding NEI R01 grants. The core achieves this objective by: (1) giving investigators and their laboratory personnel access to resources that are outside the resources of individual R01 grants, (2) giving investigators and their laboratory personnel access to technical expertise that is outside the scope of individual labs, (3) providing training of laboratory personnel to enhance the capacity of individual labs, and (4) providing a culture that promotes collaboration. The Molecular Biology Services and Shared Instrumentation Module achieves this goal by ? providing a centralized service for genotyping model organisms ? providing assistance and training in immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization, developing PCR assays for genotyping, cryopreservation of zebrafish, metabolomics sample preparation, and apoptosis assays ? by providing access to a variety of instruments that are used on a daily basis by multiple labs to avoid unnecessary duplication of equipment such as gel documentation systems, ultracentrifuges real time PCR machines, and spectrophotometers ? by providing access to a dedicated core cell/tissue culture facility